Middle East

Sipadan Island

The late Jacques Cousteau, a
world-renowned oceanographer,
once described Sipadan Island
as an untouched piece of art
while divers around the world
have voted it as one of the
top five dive sites in the
world.

Rising 700m from the sea
floor
and at only 12ha., Malaysia's
sole oceanic island is very
small in size. A 25-minute
walk is all that is needed to
circle the island on foot,
but
the huge amount of diverse
marine life it attracts from
the blackness of the open
sea
is simply mindblowing.
Surrounded by crystal clear
waters, this crown jewel is a
treasure trove of some of the
most amazing species out
there.

Declared a bird sanctuary in
1933 by the Colonial
Government of North Borneo
and
re-gazetted in 1963 by the
Malaysian Government, the
dense vegetation on Sipadan
Island supports a large
variety of tropical birds
that
include sea eagles,
kingfishers, sunbirds,
starlings and wood pigeons.
Exotic crustaceans including
the amazing coconut crab roam
the beaches and scurry among
the undergrowth. Encounters
with turtles, resident
schools
of jacks, bumphead parrotfish
and barracudas are almost
assured when diving around
the
tiny coral island.

Getting Here

By Air/Road/SeaThe jump-off point to Sipadan
Island is Kota Kinabalu or
Tawau. Thereafter, continue
the journey with a 1-hour
drive to Semporna town. A 30-
minute speedboat will take
you
to Mabul, which is the jump-
off point for Sipadan Island
explorations.

Places To Stay

Disclaimer
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